[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans":3,"chapter-the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-297":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1297961,1723,"Chapter 297: What did they face back then?","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-297",297,"\u003Cp>\"He's going to use 'the real thing' on you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Zheng's voice was like cigarette ash, dry and heavy as it settled in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou's face instantly drained of all color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere on the film set the next day was unusually tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of the warehouse, a massive transparent water tank stood imposingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, murky water floated with dead leaves and weeds, simulating the filthy river water of the border region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the long table beside it, apart from a stack of towels, there was also an inconspicuous plastic bucket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bucket was half-full of a liquid that emitted a pungent, spicy smell, making one's throat tighten just from smelling it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pepper water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou's lips trembled uncontrollably,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gripped Jiang Ci's arm tightly, with great force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, no, this will kill someone! I'll go talk to the producer! The contract doesn't say we have to film it like this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci stopped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just calmly looked at that glass coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his face slightly, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather: \"The real thing is easier to act with. Fake ones... still require imagination, too tiring.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, his voice even softer, as if speaking to himself: \"Besides, I want to know what 'they' faced back then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou was stunned, staring blankly at Jiang Ci's profile. Wasn't this exactly the Ci-ge he admired, the one who championed realism?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he chose to remain silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Zheng stood to the side, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke that blurred the heaviness on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Filming preparations were complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci changed into his costume, a thin black tank top that made the bruises on his body appear even more ghastly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong walked over, his face with its thick, hardened muscles showing no trace of humor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned close to Jiang Ci, lowering his voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kid, I know my limits.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you can't take it, slap your thigh, I'll stop immediately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci looked up and smiled at him. That smile, under the dim light, appeared remarkably composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uncle Lei, please don't go easy on me, or we'll have to do it again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong looked at him, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. In the end, he said nothing, turning and walking towards the water tank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the monitor, Jiang Wen only said two words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Action.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci was held by two stuntmen, firmly pressed onto the chair in front of the water tank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong personally stepped forward, grabbed a towel, and roughly covered Jiang Ci's face with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, icy, murky water poured down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling of suffocation was like an invisible hand instantly choking his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water seeped through the towel, invading his nostrils and mouth. A burning, intense pain shot through his lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's body began to convulse instinctively, his limbs struggling frantically on the chair,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gurgling sounds, choked off, came from his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the monitor, Jiang Wen leaned forward, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the walkie-talkie bulging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some people on the set had already turned away, unable to bear watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Body of Steel] protected his organs, but it could not isolate the agony of near-death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying on that inhuman will, Jiang Ci endured the long thirty seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong yanked the towel away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci slid from the chair onto the ground, lying prone as he coughed violently, vomiting large mouthfuls of filthy water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take one, good.\" Jiang Wen's voice came through the walkie-talkie, flat, cold, and hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou wanted to rush forward but was firmly held back by a set assistant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci pushed against the slippery ground, swaying as he tried to stand, but Lei Zhong's large hand pressed down on his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Another take.\" Jiang Wen's voice sounded again. \"Duration, doubled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The set was deathly quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doubled? One minute?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faces of several female clapper loaders had already lost all color, their hands tightly covering their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ding, detection of primary heartbreak emotional resonance.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Heartbreak Value +35.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ding, detection of suppressed heartbreak emotion... Heartbreak Value +42.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Jiang Ci's mind, the system's notification sounds rang out on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed against the slippery ground, coughing until his lungs hurt, yet he still lifted his head,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the direction of the monitor, he slowly raised a trembling finger, making an \"OK\" gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong's hand began to tremble slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed Jiang Ci back onto the chair again and covered his face with the towel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the water flow was even more violent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed second by second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's struggles went from violent to gradually weakening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his world, only the roaring sound of water remained, and the pain of his lungs feeling like they were about to explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Director! The time is too long! It could kill someone!\" The young assistant director finally couldn't hold back and shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Wen ignored him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifty seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong felt the struggling force of the body under his hands rapidly disappearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His palms were drenched in cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Group extreme heartbreak alert! Heartbreak Value +58!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Strong empathetic heartbreak alert! Heartbreak Value +65!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The alarms in his mind mixed with the real-world suffocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very last second, Lei Zhong suddenly released his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He yanked the now motionless body from the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci lay prone on the cold concrete floor, like a fish thrown ashore, dying,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body twitched unconsciously, but he couldn't cough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guh—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He vomited a large amount of water, followed by heart-wrenching coughs,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire body curled into a ball, his face pale as a sheet of paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire set was silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou could no longer hold back, breaking free from those restraining him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scrambling over, using a towel to clumsily wipe Jiang Ci's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother! Brother!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's consciousness was a chaotic blur. It took him a long time to slowly push himself up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his head, his unfocused gaze passing over everyone, looking towards the figure behind the monitor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his mouth, his throat emitting a wheezing, airy sound,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every word accompanied by choking coughs, yet stubbornly piecing together a complete sentence:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Director... this take... is it... good?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Wen sat behind the monitor, silent for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the playback, at the moment the young man was dragged out,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The despair and emptiness that erupted in those eyes, truly clawing back from the brink of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That kind of realism made even him, this tyrant of the set, feel a chill seeping from the marrow of his bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one applauded on set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone just silently watched the figure wrapped in a huge towel by Sun Zhou, still trembling uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This silence was heavier than any applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night after wrap, in the smoking area downstairs of the guesthouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Producer Old Zhang found Lei Zhong and offered him a cigarette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong took it but fumbled several times before managing to light it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep drag, the hand holding the cigarette still trembling uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Zhang looked at him and sighed: \"Today, you had a tough time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong didn't respond, just stared at the ember between his fingers, as if talking to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Zhang, that kid isn't right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, lifted his head, in those turbid eyes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear and disbelief were intertwined, finally leaving only the horrified look one gives a monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just now, in the water, he was... enjoying it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's a born lunatic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1262,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.557Z",1,"novelbin.me","28c95267f1575b0216199ec829bf17c14ab94daca658a762130103fc50bc41bd","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-298","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-296",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]